High-speed sensitive relay



Feb. 12,1952 E. o. ROGGEN'STEIN 2,585,684

HIGH-SPEED SENSITIVE RELAY Filed Oct. 11, 194'? 2 SHEETS-Sl-IEET l fi a 4min lNVENTOR E.O.ROGGENSTEIN 1952 E. o. ROGGENSTEIN ,68

HIGH-SPEED SENSITIVE RELAY Filed 001;. 11, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 FIG? \NVENTOR E.O.ROGGENSTE IN Patented Feb. 12, 1952 ENT OFFICE HIGH- SPEED SENSITIVE RELAY Edwin 0. Roggenstein, Ilion, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 11, 1947, Serial No. 779,256

5 Claims. (01. 200-47) This invention relates to electromagnetic re-' lays and more particularly to relays of high speed and sensitivity that may be adjusted to operate within very close limits of the desired sensitivity.

Inelectrical control circuits generally and in business machines, particularly, it is often essential'to have a relay that operates reliably and quickly at a certain minimum current.

An object of the invention is to provide a relay that may be adjusted in sensitivity without affecting the contact adjustment.

Another object is to produce an inexpensive relay of small size and simple construction havin an armature and winding which may be manual- 1y assembled thereto or dismounted without the aid of tools.

In some relay installations where a considerable number of relays are used, small relays are arranged in banks and mounted close together to save space. Locating circuit trouble and servicing a group of such relays is often a difficult and time consuming task and the present invention seeks to simplify relay maintenance problems by providing a relay structure having an armature and winding both of which are readily removable and replaceable without the aid-of tools. This permits contacts to be easily cleaned and windings to be tested, and if defective, to be quickly replaced. In a preferred embodiment, the relay comprises a V-shaped yoke or bracket which may be permanently attached to a, suitable supporting framework. The polepiece. extends outwardly from the base of the yoke between the arms thereof. A spool carrying the relay windings is adapted to be slipped over the polepiece, either before or after the yoke is attached to its support. The spool. is removably secured to the structure by a spring clip fastened to one arm of the yoke. prises a flat piece of magnetic material, one edge being a knife-edge which rests in a complementary V-shaped groove in one arm of the yoke where it is held in position by a, bowed, approximately J-shaped spring formed from flat stock. The spring is self retaining when in operating position, one end being held by spring pressure in a notch or recess in a flat conducting member attached to the armature but insulated therefrom while the opposite end of the spring is held by spring pressure in an opening in an adjustably tensioned flat spring attached to the opposite arm of the yoke but insulated therefrom. The spring arrangement exerts pressure on the armature efi'ective to retain it in the V-shaped groove as well as tending to bias the armature away The armature cornfrom the polepiece. The spring arrangement provides a circuit connection for a contact tongue attached to the armature, but insulated therefrom, to eliminate carrying current through the armature pivot which would ultimately result in erosion of the knife edge and groove. The J-shaped spring is easily removed by flexing the same between the thumb and fingers to disengage the ends thereof from their supports. The armature then may be lifted out of the V-shaped groove and the spool carrying the winding may be slipped off the polepiece after withdrawing the spring retaining clip from engagement therewith.

Other objects and structural details of the invsntion will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is an isometric view of the relay;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the relay with the tensioning spring partially broken away to show the contacts more clearly;

Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 'is a front end view from the right hand side of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 isa vertical section taken along the lines 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an exploded isometric view of the relay; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of the pivot for the armature.

- Referring to the drawings, the-relay comprises a generally U-shaped yoke or frame I I, the upper arm 24 thereof being slightly shorter than the lower arm 4. The yoke is adapted to be permanently secured at its rear to a suitable supmantled from the front end of the yoke making it unnecessary to disturb the yoke when once mounted. A polepiece III may be permanently secured to the yoke and extends outwardly between the arms thereof. A slot 5 is formed in the lower arm I of the yoke to recieve a lug B Fig. 6, formed on one end of a spool l on which .the relay coil 12 is wound. The spool is adapted to be slipped over the core or polepiece ID, the lug 6 being proportioned to fit into and be guided by the slot 5 which restrains the spool from turning on the polepiece. A flat spring 8 is fastened at one end by a screw to the under surface of arm v4 of the yoke and a catch I3 on the spring extends normally into slot 5 where the catch engages the outer surface of the lug 8 when the spool is pushed back snugly against the yoke.

The catch holds the spool firmly on the polepiece. The outer end of spring 8 beyond the catch I3, is slightly bent away from the arm of the yoke so that the spring may be depressed away from the yoke arm, for example, by a thumb nail, to withdraw the catch I3 from the slot 5 to free the spool for removal.

A V -shaped groove I6 is formed in the upper surface of the yoke arm 4 near the outer end thereof and extends across the slot 5. An armature I4 comprising a fiat piece of magnetic metal has a knife edge I5 formed on the lower end thereof which rests in the V-shaped' groove I6.

Pins H are disposed in the groove at opposite sides of the armature and slightly spaced therefrom to prevent lateral movement of the armature in the groove. Assembled to the armature, but preferably insulated therefrom, are a fiat metal member 9, Fig. l, and a contact tongue 3, which preferably are stamped out in one piece. Contacts I8 fixed to the upper end of the contact tongue cooperate with spaced stationary contact points and 2I set on depending portions of contact springs 22 and 23, mounted on arm 24 of yoke II b screws 25 and insulated from the yoke by insulators 26. An adjustably tensioned leaf spring 21 is mounted on arm 24 by screws 28 but insulated therefrom. One end of spring 21 serves as a lug to which external connections for the armature may be soldered. The opposite end of the spring 21 extends beyond the yoke arm 24 and has a hole 3| formed therein approximately overlying the upper edge of the armature. Connection is made between spring 21 and the armature by a bowed approximately J-shaped spring 30 formed from flat spring metal. Near its upper end, the spring 30 is cut away on opposite sides forming a narrowed portion which fits in the hole 3| in the leaf spring 21, the shoulders formed by the cutaway ortions abutting the under surface of the spring. The opposite end of spring 30 is formed into a small reverse hook 32, Fig. 6, which engages a notch or recess 23 cut in the flat metal member 9 on the armature where it is held positioned by the joint pres i sure of springs 21 and 30. The tension is varied by an adjustment screw 34 carried through a hole 35 in the tensioning leaf spring 21 and insulated from it by the bushing 36 of dielectric material.

The armature I4, the spring 30, and the tensionarmature I4 is then easily removed by lifting the same out of its bearing groove. The catch 13 is pulled out of engagement with lug or extension 6 and the coil I2 then slips off the core I0 readily.

To reassemble, the coil I2 is replaced on the core Ill. The catch I3 is allowed to snap back into position. The knife edge I5 of the armature I4 is inserted into the V-shaped groove i6 between the pins H with the contact I8 between the contacts 20 and 2 I. The lower hooked end 32 of the spring 30 is then nested in the notch 33 in the upper end of the armature I4 and the Making the springs 21 and 30 of con *4 upper end of the spring 30 is then inserted in the hole SI in the tension leaf spring 21.

While I have described what I consider to be highly desirable embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that many changes in form could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to the exact form herein shown and described, nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as hereinbefore set forth, and as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In a relay which may be assembled without tools, a supporting structure having a polepiece mounted thereon and a groove near one end of the supporting structure; a coil slidably mountable on said polepiece; a clip on said supporting structure for locking the coil on said pole-piece; a contact supported on said structure; an armature attractable to said polepiece and having a contact thereon cooperable with said contact supported on said structure, the said armature having a pivot edge for pivoting in the groove on said supporting ,structure; and a curved spring detachably'engaging the armature and coupled with the supporting structure for biasing said armature, the s/aid spring being also utilized for conducting current into the armature contact and for holding said armature in the groove.

2. A relay adapted to be assembled and dismantled easily comprising an approximately U-shaped yoke, a polepiece permanently secured to the rear of the yoke extending outwardly between the arms thereof, the yoke having a V- shaped groove formed across the inner surface of one of its arms beyond the end of the polepiece, a readily removable or replaceable armature formed of a fiat piece of magnetic material having a knife edge resting in the V-shaped groove, a metal member including a contact tongue formed with a notch therein secured to the armature, the notch being disposed opposite the knife edge, a sprin member mounted on the opposite arm of the yoke formed with a recess approximately overlying the notch of the metal member, and a bowed spring member detachably engaging the notch with one end and the recess with the other, the spring being so tensioned and dimensioned as to bias the armature as well as holding it in place in the V-shaped groove, while being held in place solely by its own resiliency.

3. A relay adapted to be assembled and dismantled easily comprising an approximately U- shaped yoke, a polepiece permanently secured to the rear of the yoke extending outwardly between the arms thereof, the yoke having a V- shaped groove formed across the inner surface of one of its arms beyond the end of the polepiece, a readily removable or replaceable armature comprising a flat piece of magnetic material having a knife edge resting in the V-shaped groove, a flat metal plate including a contact tongue secured to the magnetic material formed with a notch therein disposed opposite the knife edge, a leaf spring mounted on the opposite arm of the yoke and insulated therefrom formed with a recess approximately overlying the notch, a bowed spring member of approximately J-shape having one end formed to fit into the recess and the other to grip the notch, the respective ends being held in their positions by pressure of the spring which is effective to bias the armature and also to hold the same in the V-shaped groove.

4. A relay adapted to be assembled or taken .ing the spool on the polepiece, an armature comprising a flat piece of material formed with a knife edge, which edge is adapted to rest in the groove, a flat spring member fixed to the opposite arm of the yoke having a portion formed with a recess projecting beyond the last mentioned arm, a bowed spring of flat stock approximately J-shaped for biasing the armature and holding the same in the groove having one end positioned in the recess, a flat member secured to the armature formed with a notch for detachably retaining the opposite end of the spring,

5. A relay adapted to be assembled or taken' apart without tools to simplify the servicing of same which comprises an approximately U- shaped yoke having an arm formed with a slot in one end and a V-shaped groove transversely of the slot, at polepiece secured to the yoke extending between the arms thereof, a self-supporting form wound coil slidably mounted on the poiepiece, manually movable means in the slot for retaining the coil positioned thereon, an armature comprising a flat piece of magnetic material formed with i a knife edge, which edge is adapted to rest in the groove. a flat member secured to the armature formed with a notch pro- Jecting beyond the edge thereof remote from the knife edge, a spring member attached to the opposite arm of the yoke formed with a recess and a pair of spaced contact members depending from the latter arm of the yoke, a cooperating contact attached to the armature, and an approximately J-shaped spring of flat metal stock having one end shaped to fit the recess of the spring member and the other the notch in said flat member for biasing the armature and holding the same in the groove, the spring bein so tensioned as to be self retained between the parts mentioned.

EDWIN O. ROGGENSTEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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